Light and Shadows
by Moonlight Shining
Summary: Manuel is dead. Hammer is dead and Dee's confession... is only the tip of the iceberg. History has repeated itself, her past has caught up with her and she has no choice but to face it.


**A.N: Named after the title of the reminiscence song. Described situations are my interpretation of implied events as well as some embroidering. Whether you think I might be spot on ;) or have a different perception of things, you are welcome to express your opinion! **

"So, you did do it, didn't you?"

Phoenix Wright… The man who has brought it all out in the open. The man who has saved that idiot Powers from a certain death. If only you knew… You haven't exposed half of the secrets that lurk in my past.

I and I only, know what the real truth is. The truth lies in that nightmare I have every night. The one when I stare in the eyes of that obnoxious man and I suddenly see the light. You have been nowhere near the truth but I won't blame you for that. This is my truth and it doesn't concern you, nor does it concern the rest of the world, for that matter. It concerns me and Hammer… and Manuel. My Manuel.

"... Yes. I am guilty. It was me..."

I looked him in the eyes and I knew it was no coincidence. It was murder. I may be the only person on this earth who saw that accident for what it really was- A man taking the life of another. How have we even come to this?

I wouldn't have expected trouble to come from him. At the beginning, Hammer was quite easy to handle. He did what he was paid for, didn't ask too many questions and his success had made him Global Studio's cash cow. He was the dream employee.

That was until he found out something he shouldn't have. It wasn't difficult for me to keep him silent. "Blackmail" some might say… I personally thought of it as a mutually beneficial arrangement. I was to let him get the golden contract he was so keen on obtaining, provided that he kept his trap shut. He had more to lose than I did, so it was a swiftly carried-out business. I was intent on keeping my relationship with Manuel secret, both for fear of scandal and out of a personal wish for privacy.

A few days later, I caught the two of them fighting. There had been one of those slight, usual hitches during rehearsal, with Hammer failing to deliver his special coup at the right time. Jack was now accusing Manuel of having caught him off guard, and therefore, of messing up his impeccable timing. I had witnessed the sequence of events and as far as I was concerned, our "Samurai" star had no one to blame but himself. His failure was his entire fault. I immediately put an end to the argument and soon everyone was back to work, as though nothing had happened.

However, in this moment, it dawned upon me as evidence that Hammer was _jealous._

Jealousy was the word. That third-rate actor had been feeling threatened ever since Manuel's arrival. Despite being hardly dry behind the ears, the rookie was a talented actor and an amazing stuntman… all in all, a potential rival. Upon learning that, I despised Jack even more.

I had no idea at that time but there was something else Hammer couldn't accept- The relationship between a producer such as myself and a second-role actor. Hammer himself had tried to seduce me more than once. Having seen what I was capable of, he had come to fear me- as indeed, he should have- but that wouldn't keep him from attempting to flirt. When he did that, I would simply ignore him. My blatant indifference did nothing in discouraging him though.

There is so much that Wendy Oldbag doesn't know about Jack Hammer: Namely, that he was one of God's mistakes.

One day he crossed the line- trying to overthrow the balance of power, expecting me to become his puppet. As though such a pathetic excuse for a man stood a chance against a woman with my connections. What was he thinking? Was that man, who was otherwise arrogance embodied, secretly afraid of competition? Was he after a practical advantage of some sort? Was he trying to grant himself more power and fame? Money? Sex? Or was he maybe - like that old harridan insinuated one day - merely after… _love_?

Be that as it may, no one in the board- not even I- was willing to give him the sack. He was worth too much money.

But it was inconceivable for me to put up with his behavior without reacting- The cut in his pay came accompanied with a small punishment. The boys did what was appropriate and all the while he stared at me, pure hatred in his eyes. I, carefreeand self-confident,merely smirked back. How foolish I had been…

He had learnt his lesson… to all appearances… Things took their course and I didn't think much of it, until one day…

_What…? What happened here? _I looked down and I saw him. He looked like a child, fallen too early, knowing death before he could even get to know life.

_Manuel! Manuel! _I couldn't see his face. I couldn't see anything- Just that slumped form, and the red… the red everywhere. Someone was standing in my way…

_"Ms. Vasquez, please, try to remain calm..."_

My hands were soaked in blood. _D-Don't touch him! Ms. Vasquez! _

_Nooooooooooooo!_

His features were distorted by pain and shock, and most of all, fear. A small trickle of blood was running from the corner of his lips. Those lips I had kissed so many times… Lips that were trembling, though he wouldn't make a sound.

_No! Please… please don't die. Please… You… H-Hammer!_

I had looked up and our gazes had met. I had looked him in the eyes and I had known it was no accident. It was murder. And most of all, I had known that I would never, ever, be able to forgive him.

"Congratulations, Mr. Wright. I lose…again."

* * *

_A.N: If you made it there, please leave a review._ _This story is virtually deserted so there's no one else to do it :(_


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